Whats the usual age to get rid of cot bed sides?

[WhoahThereCrazyHorse]

I know lots of people do it when theory climbing toddlers are trying to get out, but 18mo DD shows no such tendencies - and is bottom of the size scale so miles off being able to get out even if she wanted to.

What have others done? Thanks.

Dd never tried to climb out and we took the side off a week after her 2nd birthday. She has rolled out a few times (now 2.2) but hasn't actually climbed out. She sits there in the morning shouting for us until we go in and rescue her

We took DD1's down a week before her 2nd birthday. Never had any problems.

we left ds in his cot until he was 2½ years old. He never tried to climb out before that either.

DD1 was 2 but DD2 had hers off age 14 months and now at 18 months is in a proper bed! She just decided that she wanted to share top and tail with DD1 who is 4 and they both seem happy for now.

Leave the sides up as long as you can is my opinion.

DS was about 18months when I took his off, he had never tried to climb out but suddenly started to hate being put in his cot and seemed really frustrated by it. He would wake in the night screaming and bashing at the bars. I took one side off, he climbed in happily, slept all night and was fine. The next night I took the other side off so it was just a toddler bed and he was fine again. He did occasionally jump out of bed but only to get a book or car and he got back in bed with them. He never had a guard and never fell out.

For us, though 18months is quite early it worked really well and solved his sleep issues. It wasnt the big deal I was anticipating either.

I think your only ment to take the sides off when they can climb out because once they get over the bars they can fall and some fall head first back in. Lots of funny videos on you tube but a fall the wrong way could be dangerous.

when he broke the cot, jumping up and down in it... got him a bed then.

Aged about 2 , he was out of nappies just, so a bed seemed right any way.

At 19 months DS could climb on to the top of the cut side, then fall off. Whether he fell back into bed or onto the floor was pretty random. He went straight from cot with sides and grobag to bed with no rail and duvet. His bed is only about 30cm off the floor. He has only fallen out a few times, but he's never woken up. I kept his cot mattress next to his bed for a while.

We put the side down as a low bed rail and cable tied a step to the cot leg when DD1 was well under 18 months.

We asked her how she'd got out, she showed us. She just put one hand each side of the corner and jumped out. It didn't bear thinking about what would have happened if she caught her toe.

DS was 3! Containment all the way IMO

DD is nearly 2 and still in her cot! She is on the bottom centile, so teeny weeny, and has made no attempts at getting out. I don't think she'd manage it! She would definitely fall out, though, if we took hers off. She gets upside down, back to front, wedged in corners etc

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

We just took the side off our son's cot last night and he is 20 months. He wasn't trying to climb out but we were having issues with night wakings and he seemed to prefer to sleep on beds or couches and didn't seem to like the cot anymore. He seemed ok with it. We just put a mattress on the floor in case he rolled out.

Ds1 is having them off tonight, he is 2 years and 11 days. He us big enough to get out but hasn't ever tried. He would do it easily and in all likelihood end up hitting the chest of drawers which at best would just hurt but could be very dangerous. He has a stair gate on his door so still contained in some ways.

DD is 2.8 and we took hers off on Sunday. She never really tried to climb out but I wanted to do it while she is going through a 'happy to go to bed' phase.

1. Wait as long as you can in my experience. Mine were all a nightmare coming downstairs all the time!

There's no usual age really.

DD1 was about 16 months when we took the sides off the cot as she climbed out of it one day. No problems at all but she was always a good sleeper.

DD2 is 17 months and still in a cot and I don't know if she'll be going into a bed anytime soon. She's made no attempt to climb out and she shares a room with DD1, they often spend time playing and laughing, at bed time, before they fall asleep. I know for a fact that if she wasn't in a cot she'd be up out of bed messing around.

Also, she wasn't a good sleeper until recently and as TheBorrower says, "if it ain't broke don't fix it!"

DD was 3 as we wanted to leave it as long as possible! Only moved her to a bed once she actually did start climbing out of the cot. Gave me the fright of my life when I thought she was fast asleep and she came out to see me! Had a nightmare with her not staying in her bed after that, so am inclined to try DS in a bed earlier. He's 20 months now so will aim for around age 2.

DD is 21m. Today she vaulted over the side of her cot for the first time so she's now sans sides and will have a bed any day now.